Just the facts, ma'am

Anjali has tagged me for the 7 Things Meme. Despite my many quirks, this proved to be more difficult than I'd anticipated. I went with the first applicable things to pop into my head. These probably aren't the most interesting things about me. Or at least I hope they aren't. But then again, I'm pretty boring. At any rate, here goes...

The Rules:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Post 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Me in a list:

1. "You don't win friends with salad." I've been a vegetarian for ten years and haven't eaten red meat in nearly fifteen, but when I was a kid I was a hardcore carnivore. I'm talking rare steaks and sandwiches with an inch of deli meat. I stopped eating red meat when I started reading about the connections between farming and rain forest depletion. Cutting out meat altogether was difficult in a meat and potatoes town, but I went totally vegetarian when I moved away to university. I'm not preachy about it (at least I hope not), and expect the same from the other direction. Some times I think I'd like to be a vegan, but I'm far too fond of cheese and milk products.

2. Shades of Grey. I have grey hair. I mean A LOT of grey hair. It's been going grey since my early teens and I've never dyed it. The hair leads to lots of strange looks and comments. Having worked in retail for a while now, I'm sort of used to people's reactions, but all the same I'm never quite prepared when people ask how old I am -- strangers have no problem asking me how old I am. I also get asked if my grey hair is natural, which makes me wonder how I'd get this look in a salon. Yes it's natural and yes I'm under thirty. And no I'm not going to dye it, although I've often had the urge to get a Rogue-like streak,

3. Cold hands, warm heart? I have very cold hands and feet. Even in the middle of the summer, my hands and feet are often like icicles. I talked to my doctor about this when I was younger and it's possibly Raynaud's, which my great aunt was also thought to have. All I remember is the doctor telling me smoking would make it worse. The cold hands and feet often make it difficult for me to feel warm since the rest of me will be the proper temperature but my extremities often don't get as warm.

4. Smell. I can't stand the smell of root beer. I can't explain it. Oddly, I like the smell of wet dog. I'm strange, I know.

5. Saucy. I have issues with sauces. I don't like the chunks in pasta sauce, salsa, or dips and I'll leave them sitting in the bottom of the bowl (this is especially true of tomato chunks). I never used to eat chili because I didn't like the texture of the beans. These days I'll eat chili but have to mash the beans with my fork first. I still can't bring myself to eat the chunks left over from my pasta.

6. Me llamo Meaghan. I somehow managed to complete a BA and MA on gender and politics in Mexico without being able to speak or read more than a few words of Spanish. While I don't plan to return to academia, I do want to learn Spanish sooner rather than later.

7. Drunk teenagers. Despite growing up in what seems like the underage drinking capital of Canada, I never had more than a single drink of any alcoholic beverage until I was nearly 23. Just didn't have any desire. I'm still not a fan of most hard liquors (although I do love me some tequila), but I do now quite like wine and beer.

Okay, that's all I've got. I'm sure that M. could offer up some more entertaining facts about me... Like how I often make up words and songs. Or that I talk to myself a lot. And the cat, I talk to the cat like some crazy cat lady. Now I'm showing you all how completely nutters I am.

Moving on. I don't have seven people to tag, but Kim, Matt or anyone else who's interested is welcome to play along. Leave me a comment letting me know if you take the plunge.